Glossary

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How to contact an agency

Please reach out to the agency contact listed on the job announcement, if you have questions about a job. You can find agency contact information under the How to Apply section of every job announcement.

If the job announcement has closed and no longer appears on the USAJOBS website, you can contact the hiring agency’s Human Resources Office for additional information and assistance.

When to contact the agency

It may take up to two weeks after a job has closed for the hiring agency to review all of the applications. They may not have information about your application if you contact them too early.

Before the job closes

Contact the hiring agency with questions about:

The job duties or details.

The application process and what you need to provide or next steps.

Do not contact the hiring agency with questions about:

Your qualifications for the job, before you apply to the job.

Your application or documents—the agency doesn’t look at the applications until after the job closes.

After the job closes

Contact the hiring agency with questions about:

Your documents. Once the job is closed, wait a few hours before contacting the agency—all documents go through a virus scan before being sent to the hiring point of contact—this may take several hours to complete.

How long it will take to review all of the applications. Sometimes there are hundreds of applications to review for one job. The agency may be able to give you an estimate of the time it will take them to complete their review and a time to call back.

Your application status. The agency has to review all applications before making a decision on whether or not your application will move onto the next step. The agency will try to answer your questions.

What the hiring agency can’t answer at any time

If you will get an interview—the hiring agency will contact you directly if you’ve been selected for an interview.

The contact information for the person reviewing your application. You will receive specific contact information if you’re selected for an interview.

How many people applied or who was selected for the job—the agency can’t disclose this information.